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Rethinking School-to-Work Transitions in Australia pp 117–131Cite as

Giving All Students a Fair Go

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Part of the book series: Critical Studies of Education ((CSOE,volume 6))

Abstract

This chapter examines how schools might operate in ways that benefit the least advantaged (Connell R, Schools and social justice. Our Schools/Our Selves Education Foundation,Toronto, 1993). Drawing on the idea of ‘the socially just school’ (Smyth J, Down B, McInerney P, The socially just school: Making space for youth to speak back. Springer, Dordrecht, 2014) the chapter considers how educational policies and practices might be reframed around an ethic of trust, respect and care for all students. This involves a commitment to:

  • attending to lost, confused and meandering students

  • including students with disabilities.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Link is a pseudonym for a government-funded program established in the 1980s in Australia with the ‘vision to empower people and build communities through self-sufficiency, social inclusion, practical training and enhanced employment opportunities’.

  2. 2.

    Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA): According to the Western Australian Department of Education ‘the general principles of ABA are used in highly structured teaching techniques such as Discrete Trial Training and Direct Instruction programs. ABA programs are highly individualised. Complex tasks are broken into step-by-step actions. Continuous student data is used to inform instruction’ (DET, 2012).

  3. 3.

    The Assist (pseudonym) program’s purpose is to enhance the lives of children affected by a rare disease or condition, by providing responsive financial and practical assistance and facilitating access to information, resources and services for their families and carers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia

    Barry Down & Janean Robinson

  2. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    John Smyth

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  1. Barry Down
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  2. John Smyth
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  3. Janean Robinson
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Down, B., Smyth, J., Robinson, J. (2018). Giving All Students a Fair Go. In: Rethinking School-to-Work Transitions in Australia. Critical Studies of Education, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72269-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72269-6_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-72269-6

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